The 116 chapters of Volume 6, to me, achieved the overall degree of completion I expected.
During Volume 5, I mentioned that the pinnacle of the plot would occur in Volume 6, note that I said pinnacle, and not climax.
*Laughs*
At the time, it was clear to me that it would be lacking in terms of satisfaction and explosiveness, but the essence of the volume was to bring a strong sense of shock. Regarding this, when Amon uttered Chernobyl and when Colin Iliad said that Omebella had already died, I could clearly feel the sense of happiness writing brings me.
Accordingly, chapter subscriptions exceeded 60,000, breaking the record of the entire book, especially during the Amon arc, reaching over 63,000. As for this Omebella chapter, because I wrote this conclusion before the 24-hour mark, I didn’t have an accurate result, I only know that during the first hour after the chapter was uploaded, chapter subscriptions were already at 32,000.
These are the two pinnacles of Volume 6, one at the beginning and one at the end, stringing together the entire volume. Both of these events were arranged as early as Volume one. Even before I started writing Volume One, these ideas were already thought-out and I started consciously burying hints to depict the two events. When I first wrote “Chapter One – Crimson”, I already had a complete picture in my mind, one of which was an inspiration that gradually took shape as I was putting together the story of the City of Silver and its curse, it was only after this that Emlyn and the Church of Harvest came to be. I actually provided a lot of corresponding clues, although they were relatively hidden, it wasn’t without foreshadowing.
And surrounding these two pinnacle, many secrets have been unveiled. Generally, I don’t think there were any problems regarding this portion. It helped to gradually give shape to the overall universe, creating a comparatively complete framework, thus, when I start unfolding information and hints regarding the The Old Ones, Outer Gods, Ancient Sun God and his family, it would become a lot smoother. Family, yes, using this term to describe them seems to make them a lot more relatable.
(TN: Cuttlefish uses an idiom, 煙火氣 which is an abbreviation for 人間煙火, which in essence describes the life of ordinary, mortal and mundane people. The literal translation describes the need mortals have to eat and toil to live, unlike immortals who do not require sustenance, which is why I translated it to relatable)
Speaking of relatable, I would have to discuss the criticisms directed towards the war and 「Justice」.
Throughout the time I spent writing Martial Arts Master, I have been compiling a set of methodologies for writing suitable for myself, however at the same time many things were still vague to me, it wasn’t until I started writing Lord of Mysteries and the corresponding experiments and results, that things started becoming clearer, thereby adding to my methodology.
To me, the first business of writing, which is also the most important step is encompassed by a very rustic word:
「Expression」.
What is it that I wish to convey and deliver? This is something that must undergo clear consideration before setting pen to paper, after that, I would need to make a choice regarding what I will include or omit in the writing to make sure my focal point doesn’t deviate.
To put it simply, I will use a phrase that everyone abhors: centralized thoughts.
(TN note: Referencing peoples’ dislike of one of the tenets of the Chinese educational system, whereby there is only one correct answer to very subjective questions)
Then what is it I wish to express in Volume 6?
First of all, it is the sense of impact that these two plot points will bring.
Secondly, the insignificance and helplessness mortals feel when in the face of gods.
Thirdly, despite being as small and insignificant as a moth, one should always seek the light.
Regarding the second point, this theme isn’t exclusive to Volume 6, it is an inevitable component of any novel worldviews inspired by Cthulhu and the Quasi-Cthulhu Mythos. Ones’ fear of the unknown as well as the insignificance when faced with that 「unknown」, which is in the same vein as the straw men from Volume 2.
(TN: Cthulhu meaning the original H.P Lovecraftian lore and Cthulhu Mythos, the combined fictional (or is it?) universe of the entire trope, setting and mythology shared by Lovecraft and his literary successors.)
(TN: The more literal translation of the same terms could refer to a Chinese Cthulhu taletop RPG circle. The Cthulhu Mythos style represents campaigns that focus on adventure, treasure hunting and direct confrontation against an eldritch entity with no sugar coating eg: Eldritch Horror and Arkham Horror. Quasi-Cthulhu Mythos represents campaigns that look completely normal on the outside, focusing on the day to day lives of mortals in rural or urban areas, while everything dark is moving in the shadows, puzzles which needs to be solved by the players. This represents a shift in the preference of players, as more and more players in China enjoy the Quasi-Cthulhu style, as it offers more variety and realistic horror (more helpessness) than straight up Bloodborne style hunting. Windvally: I may be COMPLTELY wrong on this, but that’s one way to look at it.)
(TN: Regarding the reference to Volume 2 and straw men, Cuttlefish is referring to the events in Volume 2 Chapter 263/Chapter 476 – Straw Men, in which the life of the innocent and impoverished people of Backlund were but fuel (straw) for the various conspiracies)
Therefore, before I started writing Volume 6, even before Volume 5, I’ve been considering what kind of story would be necessary in order to deliver the things I wish to express into the readers’ mind.
If I started to expand on the war, then the focus would shift to the various mystical powers, battleships, machine guns and cannons. This would comparatively be more fresh, and with the inclusion of elements of sacrifice, exhilaration, the brutality of war and other deeper themes, it would deviate from the crux of what I wish to express. Because once you arrive on the battlefield, the significance behind death and survival become apparent, there wouldn’t be a sense of befuddlement over why you’re still alive or why you’re dying.
At the same time, the story has always depicted fights between Beyonders, and arriving at Volume 6, I even began unravelling the secrets behind the various Kings of Angels and Gods, if I was to also expand into the war between ordinary humans, not only would the two sceneries conflict with each other, it would be rather weird as well.
With this in mind, as I mentioned very early on, I wouldn’t go into the details of the war, instead the primary focus would be on the life of ordinary people embroiled in the war. I purposefully made these people indistinguishable and without names, which is another interpretation of the title of Volume 2, Faceless, to exemplify the concept of the numerous, of the masses, and to decrease the relative pain and sorrow people feel, instead accentuating the feelings of loss, apathy and confusion.
The only people with a name were the Landlord and lady, this part was to emphasize the pain and hardship of the people, otherwise the scene where Audrey determines herself, kneels before her parents bed and kisses them before leaving would lack the necessary force.
Originally, there was no need for the scenes where Audrey engages in charitable behavior to be repeated, but in order to increase the sense of apathy, stupefaction, pain and confusion of the people, I intentionally wrote a few more of these scenes, consequentially these scenes were a little monotonous and insistent, whilst failing to reflect the changes within Audrey’s heart.
However, I don’t think there were any problems with her two conversations with Klein, each encompassing a different sense of confusion; nor were there problems with her behavior after resolving herself and her subsequent manipulations. There was no delay, no encumbrance because she has her own internal conflicts and the relevant tensions in the story still exists.
In summary, I combined the build-up of determination within Audrey’s heart, her own growth and the insignificance of mortals together, and combined them into one thread, resulting in a situation where I’m writing about her, but the real focus wasn’t on her, which made Audrey seem like a tool for the plot.
(TN: 工具人, a tool-person, is someone who helps you without reservation, but you never reciprocate their feeling or acknowledge them. They comfort themselves with the fact that you might need them after all. An example is Ikanser Bernard of the Machinery Hivemind, aka the sacrifice to communicate with Arrodes).
This is probably a 「Spectator’s」, mandatory duty and sacrifice.
*Sigh*
However, I would like to thank everybody for your tolerance and understanding, during these chapters, subscriptions basically didn’t drop, resting at around 53,000, it let me proceed calm and nonchalantly, enabling me to encompass everything I wanted to express.
During the final battle at Backlund, the reason behind unfolding it from Audrey’s perspective was to demonstrate the changes the battle between gods would bring to Backlund, and to conclude all the things that I have been paving for up to that point.
As this Spectator walked down the streets and alleys on her way home, she witnessed the same confusion inside everyone, down from normal citizens, up to nobles and finally to herself, a demi-god, welling-up and culminating in the lament:
“Death without reason, life without purpose”
I have this impression that the relevant plot wasn’t a waste of time, and I feel like the plot which was somewhat adrift has finally found its’ grounding, deep, heavy, stable and solid.
Additionally, this part also ties into the build-up of emotions in three parts, from the senselessness, insignificance and sorrow that Audrey experiences, to Bernadette’s pursuit and certainty that regardless of how dark and bleak the journey would be, she would continue, and finally to the City of Silver, which has spent millennia questing the darkness, who have at last, opened the door, laying eyes on a sliver of light and on the thing named hope.
It is for this reason, my original plan to feature Roselle in Volume 6 was pushed back to Volume 7.
Hmm, this progression of emotions could be reversed, but that would be extremely despairing, it wouldn’t suit the title 「Lightseeker」.
Regarding the death of the Chief, because Lovia died earlier, I didn’t want to reiterate the sorrow and sensationalize it, instead it was with restraint that I described his condition, to let the relative sorrow be hidden deeper and instead focus on the light, on his expression of regret, release and hope.
The problem with Volume 6 was that it required too many battles cramped in succession, the middle of the volume lacked the necessary pacing for the tension to loosen, resulting in reading fatigue. This is something I would need to pay attention to in Volume 7.
Besides, if I don’t write about the war, I would lose the chance to expand on the rest of the world, it would seem like the scope of the story was limited, however this was something that I anticipated. With the existence of 22 pathways, numerous different countries, gods and angels, if I was to open up these areas, Kleiny boy would end up having to run all over the place, that would feel very cumbersome and bloated. It would be akin to a dragonfly skimming the surface of the water, to scratch the surface superficially, and not go deeper. I might as well not write it.
Therefore, even though I already have a very detailed framework enveloping the Republic of Intis, the Kingdom of Feynapotter etc, I can’t introduce them. Regarding this, a certain “one and a half metered classmate” could testify on my behalf, while I was making preparations for Lord of Mysteries, she asked me what the outline of the story was, so I copied a portion of the settings surrounding Intis, and that was probably a very detailed version of it.
This was something I set my mind on before I started writing Lord of Mysteries, I would limit the scope of the story to the utmost extent, focusing instead on one country and making it as vivid and meticulous as possible, thereby bringing out the distinguishing characteristics of other countries in contrast, establishing a more coherent framework for the entire world. Achieving this, the purpose behind writing Lord of Mysteries would be accomplished. Hmm, you guys should be able to feel that I’ve been keeping some things back.
Concerning the other countries and other pathways, I originally hoped to manage it, that is, under the same world, to write a second, maybe even a third book, under different perspectives, using things that I didn’t have a chance to use in regards to Intis, Feynapotter, the various secretive cults, organizations, the Western continent and other products of my world-building, utilizing this approach to complete the entire universe of Lord of Mysteries.
I even thought about some possible storylines that I may or may not take up, for example a certain Blessed One of The Old Ones attempts to infiltrate and sabotage things, but fall prey to an accident, losing their memories and eventually getting picked up by the Church of Knowledge and Wisdom, “indulging” in exams and textbooks day in day out, or someone who starts out as a hunter and ends up receiving instructions from Saint Danitz, crying as he loots Anderson, contesting wit and skill with the Red Angel, etc., etc.
This might be the main storyline of the second book. As for the third book, it might be a story based on the Western continent, an Eastern oriental themed Lord of Mysteries. I was smiling as I read comments on how you guys theorized a “Sky Lord of Heaven and Earth” route. Of course, regarding the power level of the Western continent, I left a few connections, but nothing concise yet.
(Refer to https://discordapp.com/channels/563405492420870155/563405492420870157/677462329616760832)
Hmm. There might not be a third book, but at the moment, I can promise there will be a second book, but it wouldn’t be the next one I write. I intend to change the theme of the story, change my mood, write about something else, after all, I have accumulated a lot of inspiration, with two especially interesting ones taking shape. One leans towards Fallout, and the other Xianxia, it’s hard to decide which one at the moment, I will consider it in detail after gathering materials and completing Lord of Mysteries.
Small talk at an end, the same rule. Three and a half days of rest, updates will recommence 7pm of Sunday. (It’s actually four days, but considering the fact that this summary has exceeded 3,000 words, let’s count this as a chapter.)
As for the name of Volume 7, as many of you have guessed correctly, it will be 「Hanged Man」.
Finally, since I uploaded this chapter, how could I not make a request for monthly tickets? I will upload the first chapter of Volume 7 :「The Hanged Man」punctually at 7pm. Give me your monthly tickets!
On a side note, average subscriptions have reached around nine thousand eight thousand six hundred, please subscribe on the official version, I hope to surpass 100,000 as soon as possible!
(TN: authors own numbers)
Lastly, gimme your monthly tickets!
